xCreen

xCreen FAQ

Short answers. More in the repository.

Is there an open-source Rewind alternative for Mac?

xCreen. It reads your screen with local OCR and has your Hermes Agent write short takeaways into your Obsidian daily notes.

It is Apache-2.0, runs on macOS 14+ and needs Hermes Agent. Retrace (MIT, macOS 13+ on Apple Silicon) is another open-source option for Mac, and screenpipe is source-available under its own commercial license. See the comparison.

What happened to Rewind AI?

It shut down. The Mac app stopped capturing on December 19, 2025, after Meta acquired Limitless, according to 9to5Mac.

The rewind.ai domain now belongs to an unaffiliated site. Former users looking for a replacement can compare xCreen, screenpipe, Retrace, Goldfish and Microsoft Recall on the alternatives page.

Is there an app that remembers what I did on my screen on a Mac?

xCreen does. Ask it things like "What was the error I saw in the build log this morning?"

It screenshots the display you're working on and reads it with local Apple Vision OCR and saves a screenshot every 10 active seconds. Ask from the menu-bar tray, the macOS 26+ "Ask xCreen" Spotlight action, or xcreen ask in a terminal. Screenshots are kept for seven days, on your Mac or on the server that runs Hermes; short takeaways go into your Obsidian daily notes.

Does xCreen send my screenshots to the cloud?

If your Hermes model is a cloud model, yes. OCR is local and storage stays on machines you run, but every 5 active minutes a batch goes to your Hermes provider, and so do your questions.

Screenshots and OCR are stored by xcreen-server, on your Mac or on your own server next to Hermes. That provider's retention rules then apply. xCreen has no cloud service of its own and stores no API keys. For on-device inference, configure a local model in Hermes. While the Integrity switch is ON, no new screenshots, OCR or automatic batches happen. Details: SECURITY.md.

Does xCreen work with Obsidian?

Yes. Set a vault and short takeaways go into that day's daily note, plus related notes when they fit.

If nothing is worth keeping, nothing is written. Raw screenshots and OCR stay outside the vault, on the machine that runs xcreen-server. With Hermes on a server, notes go to the vault folder on that server; syncing it to your devices is up to you. A missing dated note may be created with a minimal heading; templates are never executed. Setting the vault to empty (xcreen settings set vault "") disables Daily-note writing.

Which AI models can xCreen use?

Any model configured in Hermes. Pick one in the tray.

The default for the xCreen session is Claude Haiku 5.5 on your Anthropic account (anthropic / claude-haiku-5-5). Changing it with the tray picker or xcreen model default PROVIDER MODEL affects only the xCreen session, never Hermes's global default. An unavailable model is reported rather than silently replaced. Check that your chosen route accepts images.

Is xCreen free?

Yes. It is open source under Apache-2.0, including for commercial use.

Forks that redistribute it must keep the Apache notices; no advertising credit is required. You pay only for whatever model provider you configure in Hermes, if any.

Does xCreen work on Windows or Linux?

Capture needs a Mac (macOS 14 or later; Spotlight needs macOS 26). The server part also runs on Linux, so Hermes can live on a Linux machine.

If you need capture on Windows or Linux, screenpipe lists macOS, Windows and Linux support; Goldfish lists macOS and Windows; Microsoft Recall runs on Windows 11 Copilot+ PCs. See the comparison.

How is xCreen different from screenpipe?

xCreen is a Mac app that feeds your Hermes Agent and writes to Obsidian. screenpipe runs on macOS, Windows and Linux, records audio too, and uses a source-available commercial license.

screenpipe captures via the Accessibility tree with OCR fallback and can use local or cloud AI. xCreen captures screenshots of the display you're working on with local Vision OCR, does not record audio, and requires Hermes Agent. Choose screenpipe if you need Windows/Linux or audio. Sources are on the alternatives page.

How is xCreen different from Microsoft Recall?

Recall is built into Windows 11 Copilot+ PCs and processes snapshots locally. xCreen is an open source Mac app that uses your Hermes provider for inference.

xCreen also writes takeaways into your Obsidian notes instead of only keeping a searchable timeline.

How long are screenshots kept?

Seven days, then they are deleted.

Anything already sent to your model provider or saved in Hermes history follows their retention rules, and notes in your vault stay until you delete them. Local storage uses private file permissions but is not encrypted, so use FileVault. Deletion does not guarantee forensic erasure.

Can I pause capture?

Yes. Turn Integrity on in the tray, or run xcreen integrity on.

That stops new screenshots, OCR and batches. Integrity is ON (capture off) at first launch and keeps your choice across restarts. Only your own tray or CLI action changes it; the model and screen content cannot turn capture on. Capture also pauses automatically when the Mac is locked or asleep, or when an excluded app is in front.

Does xCreen capture passwords?

It can. Password managers, System Settings and lock screens are skipped, but browser password fields, password-manager extensions and private windows are not.

Anything visible on screen in an eligible app can end up in screenshots, OCR and model batches. Turn Integrity ON before sensitive browsing. The exact exclusion rules are in SECURITY.md.

Do I need Hermes Agent to use xCreen?

Yes. xCreen has no model or API keys of its own and uses your Hermes Agent profile read-only.

If you don't want an agent dependency, Retrace or screenpipe may suit you better.

Can Hermes run on a home server instead of my Mac?

Yes. Since 2.0 the Mac app only captures and uploads; xcreen-server runs next to Hermes on a Linux or macOS machine and owns the screen history, the Hermes session and your notes.

The usual setup is a home server or VM on your Tailscale network: scripts/install-server.sh --tailscale there, then point the Mac at it. Every request carries a secret token, and the Mac keeps capturing into a private queue while the server is unreachable. The same code also runs both parts on one Mac. Details: client and server.

How do I install xCreen?

Download the app from release 2.0.0, or build it: git clone https://github.com/Al-ex-W/xCreen.git && cd xCreen && bash scripts/install.sh. That installs the app and the server on one Mac.

With Hermes on another machine, run scripts/install-server.sh there and scripts/install.sh --client --server URL on the Mac. You need macOS 14+ for the app and Hermes Agent wherever the server runs; building the app also needs Xcode/Swift. Full steps, including moving an existing install and uninstalling: INSTALL.md.

Does xCreen have an MCP server or API?

Not yet. Today the local interface is the xcreen CLI, and xcreen --json prints machine-readable output.

A read-only MCP server (search, recent, coverage, ask) is planned; follow it on the roadmap issue and in the roadmap. Commands and output: CLI and JSON.

Can Hermes Agent use my screen history?

Yes. xCreen runs one dedicated session in your own Hermes Agent with scoped tools for OCR search, nearby screenshots and capture coverage.

Ask that session from the tray, the macOS 26+ "Ask xCreen" Spotlight action, or xcreen ask. The tools are pinned to that session only, so other Hermes chats do not get them; an agent with terminal access can run xcreen --json ask. Details: how it works.

How is xCreen different from ActivityWatch?

ActivityWatch is an open source time tracker that records which apps and windows were active; xCreen reads what was on screen with OCR.

ActivityWatch runs on Windows, macOS, Linux and Android and has a local REST API. xCreen is macOS-only, has a local CLI rather than a REST API, and has your Hermes Agent write takeaways into Obsidian. Sources on the alternatives page.

How is xCreen different from OpenRecall?

OpenRecall is a cross-platform, AGPL-3.0 screenshot archive with local OCR and a web UI; xCreen is a Mac app that feeds your Hermes Agent and notes.

Choose OpenRecall if you want to browse and search everything you saw, on Windows, macOS or Linux. xCreen keeps raw evidence for 7 days and writes short takeaways into Obsidian. Sources on the alternatives page.

How is xCreen different from Dayflow?

Dayflow is an open source Mac app that turns screen recordings into a visual timeline of your day; xCreen has no timeline view.

xCreen sends batches to your Hermes Agent, which writes only what is worth keeping into your Obsidian daily notes. Dayflow can use local models or Gemini, ChatGPT or Claude. Sources on the alternatives page.

How is xCreen different from Pensieve?

Pensieve screenshots all your screens into a local searchable archive with an HTTP API; xCreen captures only the display you're working on (excluded apps removed) and works through Hermes Agent.

Pensieve runs on macOS and Windows and uses Ollama or OpenAI-compatible models. xCreen deletes raw evidence after 7 days and writes takeaways into Obsidian. Sources on the alternatives page.

Is there an open source screen memory app with a local API for Mac?

xCreen offers a local CLI with JSON output today; a read-only MCP server is planned.

If you need an HTTP API now, Pensieve has one and ActivityWatch has a REST API for activity events. See the xCreen CLI and the alternatives page.

What's a Rewind or Limitless alternative for Mac in 2026?

For Mac users with Hermes Agent and Obsidian, xCreen. Limitless was acquired by Meta and is sunsetting Rewind.

Other Mac options include Retrace, Dayflow, Pensieve, OpenRecall, screenpipe and LUCI. They differ in license, capture and where AI runs; compare them on the alternatives page.